Radiator valve



June Ail i926., 19.586,78?

F. H. DOUGHERTY RADIATOR VALVE Filed July 50, 1924 il? l if 6i? Q5 1s 6721 I W if 4 Rgl.

w 24 22 l H j? 10 Q i, Jzdenior. Fr'n'lo heilig) @y Patented .lune l,1926i.

FRANK H. DOUGHERTY, F PHLADELPI-IIA, PENNSYLVANIA. i

RADIATOR VALVE.

Appncafrion aiea my 3o, 1924. serial No. 729,600.

kn'ifioii relatesto valves for venting radiators of coldk air and vaporsand preventing the escape ofvythefheating medium therefrom and moreparticularly `of the' type 5 of Avalve forming the subjectofgU. S.Letters Patent No. 1,403,162, granted January l0, 1922, to AndrewMHeldrich, assignor to Leslrole Air Valve Company, Inc. This patentedvalve is so constructed as to permit the escape pof relatively, cold airand vapors from the radiator as the `steam is admitted to the radiatorand to preventthe escape of the steam or other heatinginedium from theradiator after the latter has become. lled therewith, but isinoperative'toprevent'the infiow of air tothe radiator followingtheopening of the valve as upon the occurrence of' aslight vacuumV in theradiator or when the steam pressure forany reason becomes 20insufficient to maintainthe valve Iclosed'.

Wvhile in certain heating installations the admission of airto theradiators andy other parts of the system through thevent valves upo-nthe occurrence'of such conditions is unobjectionable, in others it isdesirable to prevent such admission and therebyl maintain in theradiators andl other part-s lof the system the slight vacuum which'isinduced following the shutting;4 off'y of the steam or u-pon the coolingdownA ofi the system so that upon the readmission ofsteamtliereto theneces` sity-ofl clearing` the system from residual air will beavoided,`and it isftherefore an ob ject ,of my invention to provide ina'valve of the general charaeter of that patented in sai'dvpatent'means.` for automatic-ally preventing' the admission of air tothe radiator or other part of the heating system with which the valve isconnected'up'on the formation of ayvacuum'in the system or uponsuficient reduction of pressure therein to cause an opening of thevalve. The'present iiivention may thenefore be 'in some respectsconsidered as an improvement on the said patented valve with a view torendering the saine satisfactorily operative for use in connectionwithheating systems from which it is desirable to prevent the'admissionof air upon the opening of thel ventvalves.

Various other objects, advantages and novel features ofconstruction andarrangement comprehended by my invention will hereinafter more fully.appear.

In the. accompanying'- drawing- I have illustrated a valve constructedin accordance with one manner of performing my inven-4 tion, Fig. lbeing, a vertical central section thereof with certain parts shownin'elevation, the valve being in open position, and Fig. v3 is a similarview of the valve in closed position. Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentaryview in central section of certain of the parts as shown' in Fig. l',like numerals being used to indicate the same elements in the severalfigures.

Assho'vvn, the valve comprises a conneotion l provided with screwthreads 2' for connecting the. valve to a radiator, the connectionhaving'v an internal passage 3 leading into a well t in the upper endofwhi'ch is disposedacup conveniently stamped from sheet metal and'having a centrally disposed conveniently conical valve seat 6cooperative with af suitable main valve poppet 7 disposed at the lowerend of the vertically eX- tending` valves-tem 8. Partially wit-hin thecup may be disposed a deflector 9 which comprises a cylindrical wall l0provided with circumfereiitiialV ports l1 positioned above'the upper endof the cup, above which and at the upper extremity of the wall" istransversely disposedy plate or web l2 centrally perforated for thepassage' of the valve stem, the defleetor thus, in eifect, forming),`anin'vertedcup disposed above the cup 5 and closed saveforthe ports 1linitswall' and the rperforation through which the valve stem projects.bove and exter'iding` up` wardly from the cup 5 is arranged acylindrical' valve body or shell 13 closed at5 its upper extremity by ahead having" a depending flangey 14 engaging' over the extremity of theshell. This head may also comprise a flatportion l5 bounded by the.flange and in turn'bounding` a central vertically extending neck 16,conveniently threaded exteriorly for the recept-ion of a removable cap17'of suitable ferm. jVor convenience of assembly the lower end of thebody may be turned inwardly and then carried down so as to seat in-'tliecup between its wall and the wa'll'vof they deflector and the severalparts ysoldered or otherwise secured together at this point, and the cupsimilarly securedin" the upper end. of the well so as to firmly maintainthe several parts in the relation de scribed and prevent any leakagebetween the adjacent surfaces thereof. The head' mayalso be fixedlysecured onV the extremity of'tlie vshell by frictional' engagement or bvsoldering/or in any otherl suitable way.

Fixedly secured on'tlie valve. stem which extends therethrough and abovethe detlector a pre tcrably metallic, hollow' control member 2t)cmnprising an inverted bell-shaped portion 21 having at its l werextremity an outwardly extending [fange and rim Q3 lying adjacent thewail of the shell, the bell- .shap-cd portion of the member being`provided with a transversely extending disl' 2l at its mouth disposedsubstantially in the plane of the liange 'lhe several parts to w iichreference has hitherto been made bear close similarity to thesedisclosed in said Patent No. 1,l03,1t2 and function to permit the escapeof air past the valve poppet 7 when steam is admitted to the radiatorand to close said poppet on its seat 6 when all the air has beenexpelled therefrom and a certain amount of steam has entered the valve,following which the poppet is maintained in closed position as shown inFig. 2 to prevent the escape of steam through the valve so long assutlicient steam pressure is maintained behind the poppet, all as morefully disclosed in said patent and to which reference may be made for adescription of the manner in which these functions are performed.

The means now to be described are provided for the purpose of preventingan inllow of air through the valve and thence to the radiator and otherparts of the system upon the opening of the valve following the decreaseof pressure or occurrence of vacuum in the system and which, in theabsence of such or equivalent means, would thereupon occur. lith thisend in view l dispose upon the upper end of the valve stem an auxiliaryvalve poppet 30 conveniently of inverted conical form which iscooperative with a suitably formed seat 3l in a valve disk 32 which ispreferably of circular form and flat on its upper and lower faces. Thisdisk is disposed above an inwardly directed tiange 1G formed at theupper end of the neck 16 and which at its center may be dished or cuppeddowiuvardly as at 1G and provided, for the passage of the valve stem,with a central perforation 3a preferably of somewhat greater diameterthan the stem so as to allow the latter a little play therein. The wallof the dished portion 1G of the flange is provided with one or moreports 35 through which the air or vapors expelled through the valve canpass from the interior of the shell 13 to the space or chamber 36beneath the disk 32, and for preventing the disk from adhering orstiel-:ing to the upper face of the fiange 1G and for affording asuitable seat for the disk I provide a small circular ridge or rim 3T onthe upper surface of the flange and of somewhat smaller diameter thanthe disk, the upper extremity of the ridge being preferably quite sharpso as to present a relatively small area of contact with the under faceof the disk. For venting any air or vapor through the movable cap 1T thelatter is provided with a suitably positioned port rhe operation of thevalve constructed substantially as hereinbefore described and attachedto a radiator or other suitable point in a heating system through themedium ot' the connection l is as follows: I 'ltarting with the systemin cold condition and iith the valve in open position as in l., upon theadmission to the radiator of the steam or other heating medium therelatively cold air or vapors contained in the radiator are forced intothe valve past the poppet and thence through the ports ll into theinterior of the shell 13. From this point the air and vapors continue upYardly through the ports 35 and thence between the dish 52 and ridge 37and out of the valve through port 38, thc dish lifting slightly from theridge under the pressure of the air and vapors to permit their passageand immediately closing bach on the ridge upon the decrease of suchpressure. After substantially all of the air and vapors have beenexpelled and the steam begins to enter the valve, condensation olf thesteam takes place within the forme r with consequent accumulation ofwater of condensation within the cup and lower part of the shell 13,following which, as more fully explained in said patent No. 1,403,162,the control member is rapidly moved or kicked upwardly thus closing themain valve poppet T on its seat and preventing further passage of steaminto the cup. The parts of the valve are thus brought to the positionsshown in Fig. 2 in which they substantially remain until the pressure ofthe steam in the radiator and behind the poppet 7 falls below apredetermined point when the control member is no longer sustained inraised position with consequent lowering of the poppet to open thevalve. Of course while the valve is closed the auxiliary poppet israised from its seat in the disk 32 shown in Fig. 2, the disk meanwhileremaining on its own seat so that free con'imunitzation is permittedbetween the exterior ot' the valve and the interior of the shell lil.Simultaneously with the opening of the poppet valve T, however, theauxiliary valve is onine more seated in the disl; and the latter tightlyclosed against the ridge 3i' by the weifgjht of the valve stem andattached parts assisted by the differential pressure. if any, betweenthe external atmosphere and the interior of the system, thus preventingany reserve liow f air into the interior of the valve and in turn to theinterior of the system and also maintaining any slight vacuum which maybe induced in the latter followingl the shutting oil of the steam or forany other cause. Thus, upon readmission of steam to the tem thenecessity of expelling therefrom residual air contained therein isobviated.

lt will be noted that as the valve stem 8 is not closely confined in theperforation 31tboth the auxiliary poppet 3l and disk are free to adjustthemselves on their respective seats so as to make at all 'times a closeand adequate contact therewith, and further, that by reason therelatively great area of that portion of the under face of the diskwhich is exposed to the pressure of the outgoing air only a. verv minutesubstantially vertical displacement of the disk is required to vent theair into the cap 17, or tothe external atmosphere if the .cap be notemployed, so that any pounding of t ie disk on its seat and consequentweary on these parts is avoided. Moreover, by reason of the constructionemployed, the disk may be made of any size and weight desirable withoutimposing any additional burden on the control member and attached partswhich might interfere with the proper functioning 0f the latteil inclosing;rr and opening the poppet valve 7, for as the valve stem isfreely movable through the disk it is free to rise and fall with respectthereto in conformity with the move-- ments of the control memberwithout cansing any movement of the disk, the auxiliary poppet valve,however, always forming` a tight closure between itself and the diskwhenever the control member is lowered and the main valve poppet l thusbrought to open position. This feature is of material importance in viewof the fact that the control member and parts movable therewith shouldbe made of relatively light weight for satisfactoryY operation when thevalve is intended for installation in ordinary house heating systems andthe like designed to operate under a minimum steam pressure or sometimeseven under a slight interna-l vacuum.

ll/hile l have herein illustrated and described with some particularitya preferred embodiment of my improved valve l do not thereby desire orintend to limit myself specilically thereto as the various elementsentering into the valve are capable of modification in minor particularsfrom the precise embodiments to which I have referred without departing`from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

Having' thus described my invention, l cla-im and desire to protect byLetters Patent of the United States:

l. In a radiator vent valve, the combination of a body, a main va ve forcontrolling the admission of steam from the radiator to the body, saidvalve being disposed in a normally Closed position when the heatingsys.-

tem to which the vent valve is connected is in operation and in anormally open position when said system is idle, a valve stem projectingupwardly in the body from the main valve, closure means extending overthe upper end of the body and having a port, and a valve poppet carriedby the upper end of the valve stem operative to prevent the ingress ofair to the body through the port when the main valve is open and topermit such ingress when the main valve is closed.V

2. ln a radiator vent valve, the combination of valve body, means forconnecting the valve body to a radiator, aV valve stem extending,` inthe body, a valve at the lower end of the stem disposed in a normallyopen position when the heating system with whichl the vent valve isconnected is idle and in a normally closed position when said system isin operation, and a valve poppet cooperating,` with a. seat adjacent theupper end of the body and operative to preventthe ingress of air to thebody through the port when the main valve is open and to permit suchingress when the main valve is closed.

3. In a radiator vent valve, the combination of a valve body, mea-ns forconnecting the body to a radiator, a main valve adjacent the lower endof the body operative to prevent the admission of steam to the body whenin one position and to admit steam to the body when in another position,means for closing the upper end of the body and provided with a port', avalve stem extending from the main valve through the body and throughsaid closing means, a valve disk disposed on said closing means abovethe port, and a valve poppet on the upper end of the valve stemcooperative with a seat in said valve disk when said main valve is inone of said positions.

e. ln a radiator vent valve, the combination of a valve body, means forconnecting said body with a radiator, a main valve adjacent the lowerend of the body operative when in raised position to prevent theadmission of steam thereto and when. in lowered position to admit steamthereto, means for closing the upper end of the body and provided with aport and a narrow circular ridge disposed above and surrounding theport, a valve disk having` a valve seat loosely seated on the ridge andthrough which said valve stem freely extends, and an auxiliary poppetvalve carried by the upper end of the stem and adapted when the mainvalve is in lowered position to close on the seat in the disk and whensaid main valve is in raised position to be moved away from said seat.

5. In a radiator' vent valve, the combination of a valve body, means forclosing` the upper end of the body and provided with a port and a narrowcircular ridge surrounding said port, a valve disk loosely seated on theridge above the port and provided with a centrally disposed valve sea-t,a valve stem extending freely through the disk and said closing means,an auxiliary poppet valve ico disposed on one end of the stem andcooperativo with the sont in tho disk, and u muin poppet valve disposedon the other end of the stem und operativo to control thc :idmis sion osteam to the vulve.

6. In L radiator Vent valve, the combination of u valve body, moans forconnecting said body to radiator, i closure for the upper and of thebody provided with a port, a valve stem, a main 'vulve poppot adjacentone end of the stom for controlling the admission of steum to the bodyand disposed in a normally open position who tlis heating system towhich tbo rent volvo is attached is idle and in n normatllyv closedposition when said system is in operation, und u valve adjacent theother ond of tho stem for preventing admission of uir to the bodythrough tbe. port Wnen the moin valve is open.

't'. in :L radiator Vont Yuive, tlio Coinbiiition o faire body, iiiounsor 'connecting suid body to u radiator, closure for tno upper und ottlio bodyv provi-ded with u port, :i Yulro stein, u inuin vulve poppotadjacent ono cnd ot' tlio stom for controllingthe udniission o' stoom toibo bony, un ausili-,trY poppot vuli'o the other ond of tho stom undino'vziblo tliorou'itli, und u volvo disk surrounding,` the stom butv'ro tlicro'irom und having zx sont for tho reception ot the auxiliarypoppctvulve.

8.1i radiator; vent Valve comprising n body, n ruim sont adjacent thelower end ot' tlio body, u main valve cooperative with said seat, moansfor controllingv tlm position of suid vulve including f1 Qontrol memberand i. (l t,

n. ruli'c stom, moans extending over the uppff-r ond ot tbc body, uYnlvo disk cooplzuiitiirgj with said inouns to control ai pussiigfotlioi'otlirougli, said rilvo stein extendin@J *freely through r:aiddisk, und :i vulve poppot curr'el by id stom und cooperating with thovulve sont in tho disk.

E). i diutor wnt vulve comprising;r a body, J:or connectingA tlio vulveto n. intor, a vulve controllinyor the udmission f ain to `r`uid bodyfrom tho rndiutor, u "o stom cxtomling upwirdly i'roni said ilun sziidbody nd projecting 'there- '-\'o, means l'or closing tbe upper ond ofbod)v und comprising u port, zi valve disk d on said nnzins ubovo thcport, und un uuxnuirjf falto :urrifsd by tho stom and coopcH-.tifo withthe wdr-c s at in suid disk. lo. .i radiator rent valve comprising :ibcnorfli tho body for connectbody. mouais in i'iio vulve to uitzidiutor, z: innin vulve lor controiiinoj tno admission ot' stt-ain tosaid body Yl'i'oin io radiator, u vulve stein extendfrom d vulve throughsnid Fil/KNK H. DOU HERTY.

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,586,787, granted June 1, 1926, upon the application of Frank H. Dougherty, ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, for an improvement in Radiator Valves,errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction asfollows: Page 1, line 60, for the numeral 3 read 2, and line 61, for thenumeral 2 read 3,' page 2, line. 122, for the Word reserve read reverse;and that the said Letters Patent should be read With these correctionstherein that the same may Conform to the record of the case in thePatent Otlioe.

Signed and sealed this 13th day of July, A. D. 1926.

[SEAL] M. J. MOORE,

Acting Oommz'ssz'oner of Patents.

